Restaurante Playa Carmen — Restaurant in Cóbano

this place was tempting for us because it is located right by the sunset and surfers. Had to walk past some trees to get the full view, and it sure was pretty. the live music was a nice touch, tho a bit off key and much too loud, and ended up being a fundraiser which we weren’t anticipating.

Our waiter was kind and helpful. We got two margaritas, and they were accommodating given our different desires – my boyfriend wanted a sugar rim, and I wanted no sugar at all, and both margaritas turned out quite delicious to our standards.

However, I ordered the bolongese and it was weirdly sweet and a pretty small portion. It had a sort of spaghettios flavor (canned pasta from the states). I didn’t mind so much, it’s not like we’re in Italy or anything and weirdly sweet tomato sauce has been a norm in lots of places. but i ofc can’t recommend it.

But in the seafood pasta the mussels had grains of sand, there were only two mussels and one was just an empty mussel shell, alongside an inedible small crab. although the flavors were good, we found it pretty unacceptable. then when he asked for more Parmesan cheese, they told him it would be an extra charge.

we also asked for tapwater, and we were told they didn’t have it and their water is “unpotable” - but Costa Rícas tapwater is actually some of the most drinkable in the world, Which is super special – seems weird that it wouldn’t be the case here. And the waiter was super prepared to upsell us on this bottled water, telling us that we could refill it with whatever we wanted because it was ecological, a.k.a. made of glass. ironically tap water would be more ecological.

Ultimately the small portions, the lack of tap water, uncleaned seafood and the upcharge on parmesan made it feel like this place is cutting corners, good for drinks but not food, and not somewhere we...

Total disregard to allergy’s or potential adverse reactions/anaphylactic shock - I have an allergy to nuts which is quite severe depending on which nut, ordered a lobster sandwich which was listed with a garlic and herb sauce - no nuts mentioned, in a menu with allergens listed. Had a mild reaction after the first bite and stopped eating immediately - asked the waiter if by any chance it had any nuts in it and he said no, not at all, let me check. Came back 10 minutes later to say they had changed and are using a pesto which contains cashew nuts, and maybe that’s why I do not feel good. WELL OF COURSE THAT IS WHY! No apology, no comments from the chef, no communication with the manager - I mentioned that it did not state nuts were on the menu and he did not respond, asked me if I wanted anything else? If I had a severe allergy (fortunately mine is quite mild) I could have died. I would have been quite ok had they reacted better, but it was a total disregard....

Has potential to be better considering the location and layout. The menu reads like a cartoon, making it difficult to navigate and understand what’s offered here. This was compounded by the fact that asking questions and the placing an order with our obstinate server resulted in her serving a dish of rudeness with a side of impatience. “One hour for pizza” in an “I don’t give a sht” delivery isn’t the way of the server. The correct answer is “we’re slammed at the moment so pizza is taking a long while but can I recommend X, Y, or Z instead, if you want something sooner”.

Having a meal should be a positive celebration You are giving money for the thing they do. A very straight forward arrangement that goes back thousands of years.

Until this place trains their staff better and changes the layout of their menu To...